Off Topic but loosely related

[YankeeRebel]

In the end love who you love be kind to everyone that allows it be open and caring that along can help the world

 

[sharkymcwrath]

A post about who you'd rather bang got pretty damned philosophical.

That's kinda cool.

 

[BigKen]

What is a 155 lb 5'9" white guy to do

Bent knuckle punch to the Adam's apple. Really fucks up one's ability to breathe.
I carry a 9" pike. It's amazing how quickly you can capture someone's full attention when you push the tip a quarter of an inch into the soft spot behind the chin. Then ask a simple question. "How do you think your day will be if I push this piece of stainless steel through your tongue, into your sinus cavity and out the top of your little head?"

 

[nefansince75]

Easier said than done. I'd accept just taking that asshole to his mortal edge. I was a pro at this stuff and swear, I'd hurt this guy so bad, he'd beg me to kill him to end it. I have gremlins that live in my head and they've been in cages since 1971. If I saw this guy, there's no way I could keep the locks on those doors.

How about the part where his actions ultimately enriched your life?

I get it, especially the easier said than done part. My words are only advice and not judgmental.

 

[nefansince75]

Yes, I have been followed through a store for fear of I would shoplift.
The thing about growing up in a bigoted all white environment is that the bigots will turn their bigotry to whoever is different, whatever that difference may be.
If super poor is different from the standard poor, so be it. If new in town is the difference, so be it. If big nose or really skinny, or shy or different accent...so be it. I was the vast majority of those and was the victim of many...emotional assaults'...from adults in my "Home Town" when I was young.
I went out for the high school basket ball team, JV actually as Junior high kids were only allowed on JV. We had a whole slew of balls, old and new, rubber and leather, some were much nicer than others. We went into the gym one afternoon and I picked up one of the "nicer" leather practice balls and started dribbling. Coach, his name was Marvin Pritchard, came up to me and slammed the ball out of my hands and screamed at me "YOUR NOT ALLOWED TO USE THOSE BALLS!! YOU USE THOSE BALLS!!!" as he pointed to the old worn rubber balls.
Needless to say all the other kids erupted in laughter and the lesson for them all was that I was to be the target of any animosity they had.
I was sent to the local convenience store, before they were known as such, to buy smokes for my mother one evening. She said, this is a $20, make sure you don't lose any of the change. Debbie was working that night. I do not remember her last name but I'm sure my wife does. She immediately started with snide remarks when I went, much to the pleasure of the 3 or four adults that were in there just hanging around. I asked for the Kent Golden Light 100's and proceeded to be bombarded with flak. Finally got the smokes and handed across the $20. she gave me change in one big wadded mess and I went outside to escape the verbal assaults'. There I proceeded to put the coins in my pocket, ones in front of the five in front of the 10...No 10. counted again. what should have been almost $19.00 (I forget now if smokes were $.90 or $1.10 or in between) was actually almost $9.00. I went back in and there's Debbie staring at the door waiting for me. I said I gave you a $20 and before I could finish saying it she Barked "You gave me a $10!!" Again, all 3-4 adults erupt in laughter. What is a 12 year old kid supposed to do? I said "My mom gave me a $20 and you only gave me change for a $10" She laughed a wicked laugh and insisted it was a $10 which brought more laughter.
Steal not only from the poor, but steal from the children of the poor.

Fast forward 20 years and I am in Farm Fresh grocery store in Chesapeake, VA. I come around the corner to see three large young black men 6'3" to 6'6" maybe, 225 lb to maybe 275 lb. and the lead one shoves my 5'2" 115 lb wife who is 50' away from me into the cereal. What is a 155 lb 5'9" white guy to do? She was fine, and I became a firm believer in concealed carry.
And we moved to Tennessee where people in general are nicer to each other regardless of color, ethnicity or other identities that I don't care about because they do not affect my life.

Moral of the story: People suck. Not black people, not white people, not all people, probably not the majority, but..... PEOPLE SUCK.

 

[nefansince75]

Yes, I have been followed through a store for fear of I would shoplift.
The thing about growing up in a bigoted all white environment is that the bigots will turn their bigotry to whoever is different, whatever that difference may be.
If super poor is different from the standard poor, so be it. If new in town is the difference, so be it. If big nose or really skinny, or shy or different accent...so be it. I was the vast majority of those and was the victim of many...emotional assaults'...from adults in my "Home Town" when I was young.
I went out for the high school basket ball team, JV actually as Junior high kids were only allowed on JV. We had a whole slew of balls, old and new, rubber and leather, some were much nicer than others. We went into the gym one afternoon and I picked up one of the "nicer" leather practice balls and started dribbling. Coach, his name was Marvin Pritchard, came up to me and slammed the ball out of my hands and screamed at me "YOUR NOT ALLOWED TO USE THOSE BALLS!! YOU USE THOSE BALLS!!!" as he pointed to the old worn rubber balls.
Needless to say all the other kids erupted in laughter and the lesson for them all was that I was to be the target of any animosity they had.
I was sent to the local convenience store, before they were known as such, to buy smokes for my mother one evening. She said, this is a $20, make sure you don't lose any of the change. Debbie was working that night. I do not remember her last name but I'm sure my wife does. She immediately started with snide remarks when I went, much to the pleasure of the 3 or four adults that were in there just hanging around. I asked for the Kent Golden Light 100's and proceeded to be bombarded with flak. Finally got the smokes and handed across the $20. she gave me change in one big wadded mess and I went outside to escape the verbal assaults'. There I proceeded to put the coins in my pocket, ones in front of the five in front of the 10...No 10. counted again. what should have been almost $19.00 (I forget now if smokes were $.90 or $1.10 or in between) was actually almost $9.00. I went back in and there's Debbie staring at the door waiting for me. I said I gave you a $20 and before I could finish saying it she Barked "You gave me a $10!!" Again, all 3-4 adults erupt in laughter. What is a 12 year old kid supposed to do? I said "My mom gave me a $20 and you only gave me change for a $10" She laughed a wicked laugh and insisted it was a $10 which brought more laughter.
Steal not only from the poor, but steal from the children of the poor.

Fast forward 20 years and I am in Farm Fresh grocery store in Chesapeake, VA. I come around the corner to see three large young black men 6'3" to 6'6" maybe, 225 lb to maybe 275 lb. and the lead one shoves my 5'2" 115 lb wife who is 50' away from me into the cereal. What is a 155 lb 5'9" white guy to do? She was fine, and I became a firm believer in concealed carry.
And we moved to Tennessee where people in general are nicer to each other regardless of color, ethnicity or other identities that I don't care about because they do not affect my life.

I was bellied as a kid too. Being a skinny kid with a big nose (not huge, probably just over the edge into big territory) and having a big mouth didn't help. My big mouth is the same big mouth I subject everyone here to, speaking my mind with a snarkyish playful demeanor. I was made to feel inferior despite having a high confidence. Left me with an odd balance of feeling insecure but capable. Some would refer to it as "low self esteem", but I never saw it that way. I see it as an empowering feeling that I can do anything, but feeling nobody would have faith in me that left me with a chip on my shoulder.

I've said this before in other threads... I wish I just didn't care what others thought. I would have been free to chase any girl I wanted instead of being afraid of the embarrassment of rejection. Same with other efforts like jobs where I was uncomfortable with the perceptions others had of me. Fortunately my drive to succeed ensured jobs would never really be an issue, other than the uncomfortableness of interviews. Even there, since I really do have a "social first" personality, once (if) I was able to create a bond I usually nailed the interview.

Moral of the story: People still suck, but since all don't we must navigate through the sucky ones like traffic cones.

 

[BigKen]

Moral of the story: People still suck, but since all don't we must navigate through the sucky ones like traffic cones.

What I've discovered over my 72 years is that most people are miserable where they have too much baggage to carry. The problem is that they are angry and have no one to blame the situation on and therefore take it out on anybody and everybody. The majority of them stew in their own juice rather than looking for answers or an ear. Then again, there are people who are not happy unless they're miserable.

 

[Southieinnc]

Do I see America making strides I do, but we will never be a unified country. Never

Until I was 10 I had no predjudice. I had never seen a black man. I moved to Santa Ana CA and found myself 1 of 7 white kids in school. At recess, the other whites disappeared. I would grab a bat and say, "I'm up" There were some funny looks but before I knew what that meant I had several of the black kids watch after me. They could tell I had no idea we were different. As a young adult I picked up some Predjudice I wish I did not have and wish I never knew. In my lifetime, I have had some very close black friends. When I was moving from CA in 93 I was sitting with a black friend at Folsom Lake talking about my moveto North Carolina. He said, "I know why you are moving but I hope you know why I am not(moving there)"
I did not know what he meant until I got there. I met new people, fine people who I was happy to associate with. What came out of their mouths made me very uncomfortable. I learned to say this, " I need to apologize" They'd say why? "I want to apologize for whatever I said that made you feel I'd be ok with what you just said"

I have spent the last 10 years in military environments. I have seen myself and others associate with each other during and after work. I have learned to enjoy the differences along with similarities. In the military, we are mostly all brothers. If we can do that there, we can do it in society.
It will never be perfect in this imperfect world but it can be better.

My neighborhood here in Georgia is a very nice one. Very good neighbors, people want to live here. Half my neigbors are black and we get along great. I pity any man that has not had a black friend that they loved.

 

[YankeeRebel]

Until I was 10 I had no predjudice. I had never seen a black man. I moved to Santa Ana CA and found myself 1 of 7 white kids in school. At recess, the other whites disappeared. I would grab a bat and say, "I'm up" There were some funny looks but before I knew what that meant I had several of the black kids watch after me. They could tell I had no idea we were different. As a young adult I picked up some Predjudice I wish I did not have and wish I never knew. In my lifetime, I have had some very close black friends. When I was moving from CA in 93 I was sitting with a black friend at Folsom Lake talking about my moveto North Carolina. He said, "I know why you are moving but I hope you know why I am not(moving there)"
I did not know what he meant until I got there. I met new people, fine people who I was happy to associate with. What came out of their mouths made me very uncomfortable. I learned to say this, " I need to apologize" They'd say why? "I want to apologize for whatever I said that made you feel I'd be ok with what you just said"

I have spent the last 10 years in military environments. I have seen myself and others associate with each other during and after work. I have learned to enjoy the differences along with similarities. In the military, we are mostly all brothers. If we can do that there, we can do it in society.
It will never be perfect in this imperfect world but it can be better.

My neighborhood here in Georgia is a very nice one. Very good neighbors, people want to live here. Half my neigbors are black and we get along great. I pity any man that has not had a black friend that they loved.

1. I am stealing this.

Prejudice is nurture not nature, it's a learned trait passed down from generation to generation. It's not just Whites, it's Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Catholics, Protestants, Jewish People, Muslim people, there is no such thing as reverse racism its either racist or it's not. But as i eluded to early when I mentioned the rap song, poor people white or black, or anything else have more in common with poor people than they do race. The wealthy control the narrative.

Welfare and assistance programs create a great divide, originally intended as a hand up have become a hand out, they keep people down. The wealthy continue to outsource jobs, and sell businesses to overseas businessmen all the while weakening our country and further dividing us. I love my country, I served my country and if asked today would I man a machine nest to protect it I would. That does not mean it's not a fucked up place it is. These reasons along with many others are why I feel unity is dream that will never be realized. It would requires to many selfish people to make huge sacrifices.

SIDE STORY: At work one day a guy said to me Fn N i gg er s about a bunch of young men listening to rap loudly, lip-syncing or singing along and dancing a bit. It was harmless and in a parking lot. I relied one of the dudes may be the same guy you cheer for on Sat when UF is playing or maybe on Sunday for the Jags. How can you say shit like that and then cheer for the dudes? We didn't hang at all after that.

 

[sharkymcwrath]

Anybody interested in the McGregor/Poirier fight this weekend? Not sure I want to spend the money, and McGregor seems to be all about the money and nothing else these days, but it could be a really good fight.

 

[YankeeRebel]

Anybody interested in the McGregor/Poirier fight this weekend? Not sure I want to spend the money, and McGregor seems to be all about the money and nothing else these days, but it could be a really good fight.

Not I MMA was cool when it first came out I am bored with it now

 

[Yankee Traveler]

Moral of the story: People suck. Not black people, not white people, not all people, probably not the majority, but..... PEOPLE SUCK.

So many people can be exceptionally nice too.

If only given a smile as a first impression instead of my angry old man look.

 

[Yankee Traveler]

Anybody interested in the McGregor/Poirier fight this weekend? Not sure I want to spend the money, and McGregor seems to be all about the money and nothing else these days, but it could be a really good fight.

It will be a good fight if McGregor wants to get back to the top.
If he's only in it for the money, he wont be in it much longer.

 

[nefansince75]

Welfare and assistance programs create a great divide, originally intended as a hand up have become a hand out, they keep people down.

Welfare is like feeding bread to a duck, once the duck realizes food can be easy they forget how to forage and eventually starve. The hand up concept is noble but once a hand up is given, a continued pull up is expected. It's human nature, and expanded to ducks seems like animal nature.

The wealthy continue to outsource jobs, and sell businesses to overseas businessmen all the while weakening our country and further dividing us. I love my country, I served my country and if asked today would I man a machine nest to protect it I would. That does not mean it's not a fucked up place it is. These reasons along with many others are why I feel unity is dream that will never be realized. It would requires to many selfish people to make huge sacrifices.

Some jobs are meant to be outsourced. We don't have enough people to do certain "menial" jobs because everyone wants something better. But to your overall point, there are too many greedy mother fuckers who think the world is a big game of musical chairs and they'll do anything to make sure they have a seat. What's bizarre is this: unlike the game, in the real world we can share seats so if 5 people need seats with 4 chair, two can plop 1 cheek each on a chair.

SIDE STORY: At work one day a guy said to me Fn N i gg er s about a bunch of young men listening to rap loudly, lip-syncing or singing along and dancing a bit. It was harmless and in a parking lot. I relied one of the dudes may be the same guy you cheer for on Sat when UF is playing or maybe on Sunday for the Jags. How can you say shit like that and then cheer for the dudes? We didn't hang at all after that.

There are tons of people who aren't really racist but instead are just garden variety idiots. In their own world they are just laughing to harmless (ignorance based) humor. There are also pure assholes who think they are trash talking and getting "into someone head" by using racial slurs toward a professional ball player. By no means would I defend either (especially the one taunting), it's just those acts can cross over any line and have less to do about race.

 

[Southieinnc]

Anybody interested in the McGregor/Poirier fight this weekend? Not sure I want to spend the money, and McGregor seems to be all about the money and nothing else these days, but it could be a really good fight.

I'd love to watch but suspect I won't get to see it.

I am very grateful they did not have MMA when I was a kid - I'd have done it. It won't go well for most of them when they get old.

 

[nefansince75]

I'd love to watch but suspect I won't get to see it.

I am very grateful they did not have MMA when I was a kid - I'd have done it. It won't go well for most of them when they get old.

Here's what I don't get, and sorry if I'm raining on a parade for MMA fans. You have most sports actively trying to improve the safety of their sports, especially with regards to concussions and CTE. Then you have boxing and MMA where the objective is to cause concussions (sure, not the only objective... but pretty close to it) and by extension CTE.

Can anyone see a way boxing or MMA could eliminate concussions and keep it entertaining? Maybe change the rules so only nut shots are allowed?

 

[sharkymcwrath]

I am very grateful they did not have MMA when I was a kid - I'd have done it. It won't go well for most of them when they get old.

I'm actually kinda the opposite. I was hugely into martial arts when I was younger(still practice mantis kung fu and Muay thai today). As I got older and MMA got big I got super jealous that I was too old to take a crack at it. I always loved to spar and still do. I was always a banger and not a wrestler so I likely would've gotten my ass kicked but I still would've loved a shot.

 

[Southieinnc]

I'm actually kinda the opposite. I was hugely into martial arts when I was younger(still practice mantis kung fu and Muay thai today). As I got older and MMA got big I got super jealous that I was too old to take a crack at it. I always loved to spar and still do. I was always a banger and not a wrestler so I likely would've gotten my ass kicked but I still would've loved a shot.

I was into boxing and judo. I'd have given it a shot.
I learned some of the submissive arts from my judo coach. He coached cops.

 

[Southieinnc]

Well, in case you had not heard, McGregor broke his leg trying to pull his foot out of his mouth!

 

[sharkymcwrath]

Well, in case you had not heard, McGregor broke his leg trying to pull his foot out of his mouth!

Haha! Fuck him and his big mouth. His shit talking has really gotten out of hand. He was even talking shit after the fight.